Same Old Love Song, New World Order
by OneWanderingMind
Summary: Finally fed up with the Fae and their disparagement of her species, Lauren aims to exact revenge against the Fae leaders in Toronto. Will there be room for her and Bo in this new world she would painstakingly create? Picks up a few months after the end of Season 3. Bo/Lauren


_Greetings to all!_

_I'm thrilled that you are reading and I hope you enjoy what I have planned. Because this is fiction based on a fictional tv show we love so much, I've taken a few liberties with the Fae world and politics. Keep that in mind as the story unfolds. Just roll with it- suspension of disbelief. As a token of good will, I promise you that Doccubus will get together. Keeping them apart hurts my heart especially since the show finds it necessary to beat them with a bat. Full disclosure, the only couplings are Doccubus and Thievyrie, no blurred lines of any kind._

_Enjoy!_

* * *

As the taxi pulled to a halt in front of a one story brick house, Bo double checked the address Dyson had given her. According to the Ash's intel, this is where Lauren had been hiding since she fled Taft's facility eight months ago. Because the doctor decided to immerse herself in the human world right outside of Amarillo, Texas, sniffing out her location had turned into a month long ordeal. Although the new Ash preferred to have Lauren dragged back in chains, Bo convinced the Fae leader to let her go to Texas instead of sending an angry Fae mob. The succubus had strict orders to bring her back, but she had no intention of forcing Lauren to return. With any luck, she'd come willingly following many apologies.

After unlatching the door, Bo nudged the heavy metal outward with her foot and said to the male cab driver in his late twenties, "I won't be long."

"Yeah, that's what they all say," he replied in a thick Midwestern accent. "There's no tellin' how long you'll be in there. Not worth my time to wait around."

The brunette glared and responded, "The meter is still running."

He draped an arm around the back of the passenger seat headrest and twisted his head, "Ma'am, I ain't gonna sit here with my thumb up my ass."

"Really?" Bo scoffed. The man's raised eyebrow and somber gaze quickly convinced her that this dick might actually abandon her. Groaning, she yanked a hundred dollar bill from her bra and snapped, "Will you stay now?"

With the cash between his fingers, the cabbie queried, "You got anything else worth seeing in there?"

While her instincts urged her to smash the perve's head into the steering wheel, Bo simply slid out of the car and slammed the door without a word. Giving the guy the cash didn't bother her. The Ash made sure she had more than enough money to cover her and Lauren's expenses. As Bo admired the intricate stone path and manicured yard, the sweltering heat caused her black leather pants, cotton tank top and leather jacket to stick a little more than usual. She ascended three steps and the front door swung open revealing a large muscular man about the size of Bruce.

Bo's jaw dropped as he demanded sternly, "State your name and your business."

Taken aback by the formality, Bo sputtered, "Are—are—you a—a butler or something? A very _large_ butler?" The man neither moved nor spoke. Her eyebrows slanted downward, "A guard? Why does Lauren have a guard?"

"Name and business," he raised his voice to a threatening volume.

His clenched fists didn't go unnoticed by the succubus. Things were about to get a lot less civilized. She knew the guy wasn't Fae because Lauren had withdrawn from both clans and interacted only with humans, relying on protection by anonymity. This area of Texas had a sparse population of Fae. Clearing her throat as her fingers tapped her thigh just above the knife in her boot, she responded, "First off, you're rude. Secondly, I'm Bo and I'm here to see my girlfriend." She spoke the last word with confidence. Screw breakups; it was a break.

The man growled as Bo crouched to grab her weapon. When his eyes flashed yellow, she froze and noted under her breath, "Holy shit. You're Fae…"

Distracted by the burly shifter, Bo could only gasp when two arms threaded around hers from behind and a voice whispered in her ear, "Don't struggle. We don't want to hurt you."

When Bo threw her head back hoping to smack into the man's jaw while she squirmed, the large yellow eyed man clutched her head in one hand and prepared to snap her neck. Before the brunette parted her lips to drain his chi, a small redhead stepped into the doorway and ordered, "Stop it. Both of you." Bo was immediately released at the command and the woman kindly invited Bo inside, "Doctor Lewis has been expecting you."

Not certain as to what awaited her, Bo hesitated and asked, "Lauren knew I was coming?"

With a plastic smile, the woman confirmed, "Of course she did, Bo."

Pushing past the falsely pleasant woman, Bo stomped over the threshold and into what instantly felt like an office rather than a home. Voices throughout the house funneled into her ears down the entry hallway. She paused a few feet inside and to her right saw a dining room in impeccable condition with an eight-seater table, two sideboards and not a speck of dust in sight. The woman behind her urged her forward with a soft, but calculated clearing of the throat. Complying with a twinge of irritation, the succubus strolled deeper into Lauren's territory.

As she glanced to her left with ears perking up in curiosity at muffled conversations, she caught a brief glimpse of what vaguely reminded her of a police station, but with a distinctly casual feel. First, she spotted filing cabinets up against the back wall in the right hand corner of the room. A long dark brown desk separated them from a dark blue sectional. Craning her neck further to the left as she passed by, she saw a large circular desk with several laptops and men pecking away on the keyboards. Forming an L shape against the back left corner walls stood three corkboards with two women pointing and discussing the contents. A large map of Canada and the US was neatly pinned to one board. Circles of different sizes and colors drew Bo's attention to certain parts of the map. Shades of red and blue blanketed the US Midwest and extended up into the southwest portion of Canada. Although the southeastern US remained completely devoid of color, the succubus noted spots along America's west coast and southeastern Canada. Bo didn't get a good look at the other boards, but snapshots of faces completely covered the board beside the map.

Each clunk of her boot heels against the hardwood floor heightened an inexplicable terror that she hoped her girlfriend would soon alleviate. As the hallway opened up into a large living room to her left and kitchen on her right, the woman behind her herded her to a dark blue couch identical in color to the one in the office she just passed. "Wait here," she barked sporting a contrasting smile. Bo sank into one of the four couches in the room. As she slung one arm across the back, she brushed her fingers against the microfiber of the matching sofa backed into the couch on which she sat. Immediately bored by the televisions mounted on the walls broadcasting different news stations, she turned her attention to what should be the eating area of a kitchen, but instead appeared to be a miniature ER. Before strutting out the back door, her rude one woman welcome wagon snapped her fingers in the direction of the exposed hospital beds. Instantly, curtains jerked across the small openings to conceal two patients being briefed by a man and a woman holding out clipboards presumably asking for consent of some kind.

"Hey, you," a male voice with a Cockney accent demanded her attention from the hallway she had just come from. He tucked strands of his shoulder length blonde hair behind his ears and continued when Bo's eyes fell upon him. "Who are you? Why are you here? Have you seen the doctor?"

Without hesitation, the succubus replied with aggravation, "That's three too many questions. If you plan on trying to rough me up like your buddies outside, you'll find yourself choking on your own teeth."

"You mean Charles and Vince?" He leaned against the wall and chuckled, "Yeah they're right brutes, but they keep the little shits in line."

"Little shits?" If she was stuck here for a few minutes, she might as well glean information from the chatty Englishman.

"You know all high and mighty. Think they can do it all by themselves. Cocky lads, barely in their twenties, the lot of them."

"Do _what_ by all by themselves?" She pried.

"Change _everything_," he replied as he picked off a piece of lint he noticed on the breast pocket of his sport's jacket. "But if Charlie and Vince can't settle them down, the big man straightens them out. Boy, do they shit themselves if he shows up."

Sending a small wave of charm in the man's direction, Bo said, "Alright, guy. You're gonna have to be a little more specific for the noob here."

"I'm sure you'd like that." The redhead reappeared in the doorway and chided the sandy haired man, "Colin, keep your trap shut. Does the term discretion need to be defined for you?" Instead of answering, he swiveled one hundred and eighty degrees and retreated down the hall. Once Colin disappeared, the woman addressed the thoroughly confused and disconcerted succubus, "Come with me, Bo. The doctor is eager to see you."

Pushing herself to her feet, the woman responded, "From the awesome welcome, _eager_ seems like the wrong word."

Without a verbal response, the other woman simply motioned her through the open door. Many thoughts and feelings had been bouncing off the walls of Bo's mind since she had arrived, but not a single one rooted itself in her consciousness. Oddly enough, the uncertainty, fear, irritation and hostility faded into a dark corner as a nauseating anxiety splattered throughout her nervous system. Regardless of the bizarre circumstances, she was merely feet away from the woman who was never far from her mind. With months to reflect on her shortcomings as a girlfriend, she'd nailed down an apology she prayed might crack open a door for a second chance with Lauren, whom she had failed so miserably countless times. Her actions and words never aligned during the few months of their relationship. Even though she was a charming seductress that fed on pleasure, when it came to relationships, it wasn't an all you can eat buffet. With a deep breath, Bo flooded her lungs with oxygen and then swallowed the knot of doubt and hesitation. Whether or not Lauren chose to forgive her, she would assure her of her love as well as warn her of the Fae's looming punishment.

As her feet stepped on the light grey tile of an enclosed porch, the gorgeous blonde glanced up from the ten inch tablet which dominated her attention moments before. Bo couldn't help but relax and smile at the familiarity of the sight. Lauren lounged on a wicker cushioned sofa in a light pink button up shirt and jeans. Bo caught a brief expression of happiness on the woman's face before her mouth flattened and her eyes glazed over with professionalism.

"Bo, how did you find me?" she queried without a hint of delight.

"Hello to you too," Bo couldn't help but reply sarcastically.

"Please leave us, Melanie," Lauren instructed the woman still hovering behind Bo.

As she heard the door close, the succubus corrected herself, "Sorry. I just thought—"

"Thought what? What do you expect of me?" Lauren asked with a furrowed brow.

"Not all of this," Bo clarified thumbing toward the weird house she found herself in.

"Did you expect to find me in a cave or a cabin deep in the woods?"

"No, of course not. Just not in what looks like a normal ass house but turns out to be a freaky headquarters." The succubus added hesitantly, "and not with Fae."

"Charles and Vince," Lauren muttered. She grabbed the cell phone from the table in front of her. Seconds later, she ordered someone on the other line to escort the two men to building 1301 and replace them with two others named Seth and Mira.

As the blonde angrily slammed the phone onto the glass table, Bo noted with amusement, "That was very boss-like of you. Kinda hot."

The corner of Lauren's lip twinged as she fought back a smirk. The woman was incorrigible. "What do you want, Bo?"

After a few seconds of carefully studying the toes of her boots, the brunette admitted, "To apologize—"

"No," the doctor quickly refused, "What else do you want?"

Determined, Bo tried again, "I'm going to apologize first. Just give me five minutes."

Shaking her head, Lauren replied softly but firmly, "Not only am I very busy, I'm not interested in what you have to say. So please, simply tell me why you are here."

Somewhat discouraged by Lauren's indignance, the brunette requested one final time, "Please, five minutes."

"No," Lauren stated succinctly.

Abandoning her personal quest of reconciliation, Bo sighed and responded, "Fine. I'm here because you're in huge trouble. I'm the Ash's nice way of saying come back. Believe me you don't want to know the other way."

"So I'm supposed to go running back to the Fae after all they've done to me? How idiotic does the Ash think that I am? After one Ash lied to me about Nadia, another used me as he pleased, and generally treated me as less than. The Light expect me to return to a life of subservience? I refuse to go back to that life."

"I won't let them hurt you," Bo replied.

"I don't need you to protect me. I am my own master and I intend to never serve under another human or any other creature. Things will change and they will change for the better."

Lauren's dominate tone reeked of a selfish pursuit of power that shook Bo to her core. What had happened to her gentle but strong doctor? Had the years of mistreatment truly driven her into a dark abyss of an insatiable hunger for control? Before her mind sprinted into a bleak cavern of despair, the succubus banished the grim prospects and opted to ask the blonde rather than assume the worst. "How are things going to change? Do you have some dirt on the Light that will make them leave you alone?" Smiling at the thought of throwing a wrench into the cogs of the machine that was the Ash's plan, Bo lightly offered, "I'd be glad to help you out with that."

As she folded one leg over the other and leaned back into the cushion, Lauren answered, "I do have something that will rid me of her relentless effort to pursue me and once again enslave me."

"Her?" Bo assumed that Lauren had no idea that after Hale had been thrown from his office that a female Fae had taken his place.

"You're surprised that I know of Natasha's appointment as Ash?" Lauren surmised from the blatant look of confusion on her ex-girlfriend's face. Bo had the tact of an elephant tearing through a jungle and the poker face of a drunken Kenzi. "It would be foolish of me to remain oblivious to the happenings in the enemy camp."

Bo snorted at the analogy, "Alright, General Lauren. Do you plan on doing nightly raids? Or do you mean the whole 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer' stuff?"

"I find that idea alarmingly flawed. If one remains close to their enemy, they give them the opportunity to formulate their own plan of attack after careful observation."

"Uh huh," Bo raised an eyebrow at the doctor's thoughtful theory and smirked when she realized that she intended to expound further. Philosophical nerdiness was just as appealing as doctor speak.

"In my opinion, that statement should be amended to stress a thorough knowledge of the enemy's plans, while maintaining a guise of weakness and steady flow of false leads. I suspect that the larger the chasm of knowledge, the greater the advantage."

Rather than suppress her feelings, the brunette blurted, "I've definitely missed that. I'm going crazy without your geek rants." Lauren's frown prompted a follow-up response, "Also just you. I miss you."

The last three words fell heavily from her lips and into the lap of the blonde. Although maintaining a stoic demeanor, Lauren felt the intensity and honesty in the sentence. She hated it, but it touched her. Struggling to cling the chilly resolve of a calculating criminal mastermind, Lauren stiff-armed the vulnerable "I miss you too" plucking at her vocal chords. Instead, she weaved Bo's words into an attack, "I missed you when I was with you. _You_ put us both in this situation."

"I know, I know," Bo squeezed through the small window Lauren opened for her to apologize and began, "I was a selfish asshat. I went all Fae on you- my shit is more important than yours. I did a lot of crap things, I—"

"I said no," Lauren emphasized her earlier declaration. Once again ignoring her inner screams for the possibility of reconciliation, the doctor stated, "I don't want anything from you except for your official purpose. I am pleased that the Ash sent you before a hit squad."

"What?" Bo breathed. The suggestion that the Fae intended to murder Lauren kicked her in the ribs with the strength of an irate mule. "No one is going to kill you! They know I'll—"

"Stop them? Even if it means murdering your own kind?" Bo's clenched jaw and vivid memories served as Lauren's answer. The succubus would kill for her without thought or hesitation. Unlike an elephant bulldozing its way through brush, she would painfully and slowly suck the life force from anyone who dared to harm Lauren. Although in her fury she would see red, her irises would drown in blue and her succubus hunger would morph into a lover's unbridled homicidal rage. Bo's gaze never left Lauren's as the doctor frantically searched for words to ease the tension and redirect the conversation. Returning to her previous statement, she said, "Are you the friendly nudge to force me to rethink my position before I am brought back against my will?"

Tossing aside an anger rooted in something that wasn't even happening, Bo nodded, "Yes. That's why I'm here. Actually, I'm supposed to bring you back, but I'm not going to drag you. I'm here for me too as I already said." She refused to let Lauren forget her real purpose.

Bo's subdued emotional tone threatened to dismantle the blonde's fortifications. Although her ex made many mistakes, none of her actions were unforgivable if she dedicated herself to making changes. Lauren asked for a break. Personally, she needed time to grieve Nadia and finally close the book on that part of her life. While working through her own affairs, she had hoped that Bo would gain some perspective and reignite the fire for Lauren and for the success of their relationship. By all appearances, the brunette stood before her filled with the remorse and determination she'd hoped for. Unfortunately for them both, one force often damned things initially headed for success. Time was that bastard and it had altered their courses. Lauren felt a small part of her heart flinch as she realized that there was no going back. Her plans left no room for a relationship and most certainly not with the woman who could disarm her with a single word or soft smile.

Unable to control her emotions much longer, Lauren ended their conversation abruptly, "You can go back to Natasha and inform her that I refuse to submit to her. Also warn her that I will kill anyone she sends to collect me or harm me."

Somewhat rattled by the doctor's threat, Bo replied with uncertainty, "You're kinda putting me in a 'don't shoot the messenger' situation."

"She wouldn't dare."

"You sound mighty convinced with that serious voice."

"No one destroys a potential asset as powerful as you."

With a smirk, Bo returned, "I could say the same thing to you."

"Out of curiosity, what tantalizing perks is the Ash offering me?"

Crossing her arms with a chuckle, the succubus replied, "Absolutely nothing. The bitch told me to make some shit up."

"She doesn't know you at all does she?"

"Just that I can hardcore chi suck, have blood powers and don't take kindly to rules."

"Oh," Lauren corrected herself, "so she knows the important things."

"If she doesn't know what I'll do _for_ you and what I sure as hell will never do _to_ you, she doesn't know me at all." As cheesy as her statement might sound to a stranger, she and Lauren recognized the truth in her words. In the past, Lauren brought out powers within her that usually slumbered peacefully in the depths of her being. If Natasha was truly ignorant of Bo's emotional trigger and fervent devotion to Lauren's well-being, she merely possessed fragments of an incomplete image of the succubus.

Finding herself again crippled by Bo's words, the doctor stressed, "You may leave now. Pass along my message and do not try and see me or contact me again."

"I'll tell her," Bo complied. She added as a plea more than a statement, "You can't mean that last part."

"I do."

"No you don't," Bo insisted as she took a few steps closer. "I don't give a shit what the Ash or anyone else thinks about you. We can be together."

"What makes you think that I want to be with you?"

The brunette smiled with success, "Because you didn't disagree with me. You've been pretty freakin' blunt up until now, but you didn't shoot me down."

Frustrated with her verbal tumble and revelation, Lauren tried to recover, "I left you."

"You knew I would find you."

"It was inevitable, but not something that I wanted," the blonde lied.

Holding firm in her view of the truth, Bo disagreed, "You didn't break up with me. You don't screw around. If you didn't want me, you would have ended it." Lauren converted a painful sigh into an irritated grumble as the brunette proceeded, "I told you. I know you. I crapped on our relationship and I can fix it."

Lauren channeled every ounce of resentment she harbored for the Fae who enslaved her for years and launched into a tirade of lies, "Listen very carefully. I do not want you. I do not want you to fix anything. I want you to deliver my message to the Ash and never come back here." Before the train of misplaced hate grinded to a halt, she declared, "I don't love you anymore. I can't love someone like you."

An unfamiliar poisonous venom laced Lauren's words. The verbal darts poked holes in Bo's previous assertions. She didn't need to be a telepath to read the malicious thoughts Lauren blatantly launched at her. Things had changed. Flames consumed all hope of a new start like gasoline soaked newspaper.

It took all of Lauren's strength to remain silent as Bo suffered in front of her. The doctor choked back her own agony as her fervent claims instantly deflated the brunette's determination and drained the optimism from her face. Both of them writhed in pain as Lauren's conclusive words hung in the air and slammed onto their shoulders.

After pausing to recover, Bo replied calmly, "I'll go then." Her eyes glazed with forming tears as she concluded, "I'm not pathetic or anything, but if you change your mind, you know where I am."

"You're a succubus. Your emotions are hardly constant," Lauren claimed with a sincere disbelief.

Locking eyes with the woman she feared she'd never see again, Bo disagreed, "I'm a succubus with a lot of feelings, but you've got the only ones that matter." She shrugged at the admission, "A little deep for me, I know. It kinda slapped me in the face a few months ago. Smart stuff is usually your thing."

Lauren wanted to pour out her feelings as well as her misgivings, but her dedication to her mission trumped her personal desires. She simply said, "I am sorry it worked out this way, but you need to go."

"Yeah, I do," Bo agreed. Not wanting to give Lauren the chance to summon a crony to throw her out, she opted to turn on her heel and storm through the house and out the front door. She didn't acknowledge the man or woman with whom Lauren had replaced the two aggressive men she encountered upon her arrival. She slammed the cab door shut as she threw herself onto the cracked leather backseat. "Airport," she exclaimed before the young man prompted her for her destination. As they pulled away from the house, Bo noticed four black Escalades turn into four separate driveways up the street. Seven individuals identically dressed in black t-shirts and long cargo pants jumped out of the vehicles. Clearly comfortable with one another, they shouted at each other across the yards and the street as they each retrieved a small square case and a long rectangular case from the back of the vehicles.

As the cab passed by, she got a closer look at the hard plastic and aluminum cases with handles. When she glimpsed the utility belts they were wearing with magazine holders attached, her suspicions were confirmed. These men and women were unloading weapons and by the identical uniform-like attire, they weren't Midwestern cowboys out for a little hunting or pleasure shooting, they were an organized squad. Bo's heart crashed to the floor when she spotted the redhead Lauren called Melanie outside one of the houses. Everything slowly started coming together in the brunette's mind. Lauren was treated with the respect of a leader and showed no fear at the prospect of the Fae pursuing her. Turning backward in the seat, she counted four more Escalades parking in other driveways. Simple math brought the number of armed men and women to fifty six in only eight vehicles.

Just as the cab pulled out of the neighborhood, she spotted Charles and Vince circling and swinging at a standing punching bag in an open garage. She gulped when her eyes read the four gold digits glued onto the black mailbox: 1301. They had been taken to building 1301. No wonder Lauren threatened to kill anyone the Light might send her way; she lived on a makeshift army base. With a deep breath, Bo admitted with a fearful sigh, "Lauren has a damn army."

Bo wiggled her phone from her cleavage and after a few touches on the screen, she held the phone to her ear in anticipation. "Thank god!" She blurted.

_"Why are you being so loud and thankful in my ear?_" Her best friend asked.

"I'm just glad you're okay," Bo explained. "I'm sure you haven't forgotten that claimed humans are—"

_"Blah, blah. Fae mumbo jumbo. Kill dirty humans. Blah ditty blah. I am uber special and therefore excluded from cray cray Fae declarations of war."_

"Alright, short stack. I just wanted to make sure that the Ash and the Morrigan didn't change their minds and revoke your pass card of specialness."

_"Fear not, Bobo. I'm safe and sound with robot hookers and whiskey."_

Bo groaned, "Is Tamsin there?"

_"Wow. Don't get carried away by your happiness at my newfound happiness. And no, she's not."_

Leaning her forehead against the glass window, the succubus replied, "Sorry. I kinda hate her."

_"Well. Now I know how you felt dating Lauren. The whole bff hating girlfriend thing."_

"She knows I'll smash her skeletor face in if she hurts you so I'm just waiting patiently."

After a pause, Kenzi returned with an altered topic, _"So how'd it go with Doctor Hotpants? Did it get all hot in your pants?"_

Bo shrugged off the joking tone and responded sternly, "Kenz, there is some major shit going on here."

* * *

Lauren desperately needed a drink. The endorphins racing to her nucleus accumbens would temporarily relieve her from the tornado of regret rampaging within her. When she slid down from the chemically induced pleasure, she would settle back into her work and the quickly approaching day of reckoning for the Fae.

"Colin just told me that the succubus graced you with her presence," a welcome voice spoke from the doorway. Lauren glanced up to see Vex with two tumblers pinched between his thumb and pointer finger. Her devastation subsided at the sight of a liquor bottle in his other hand. He kicked the door closed and offered, "How's about you and I have a drink and _not_ talk about it? I'm your partner but, sorry, not a shoulder for you to snot all over."

As she scooted to her right to make room for the mesmer, she assured him, "Don't worry. I don't want to discuss Bo. I assume you have news that will cheer me up."

"That's the cold, unfeeling doctor I wanted to see." He clanked the glasses onto the table and as he unscrewed the bottle, he continued, "Let me tell you about Portland and Seattle."

While he poured the dark liquid into the tumblers, the blonde prompted, "Did you succeed? Are the local Light and Dark representatives willing to join us?"

"Seattle jumped at the chance. It seems the poor buggers have been ordered about by our lovely elders for years. Apparently, they've basically been treated like rats running around in the gutter."

Wincing as the warm tequila streamed down her esophagus, Lauren pried, "What about Portland?"

Vex shook his head at the sting of the alcohol and replied, "Bit different there, darling. Let's just say that the hoity toities were demoted."

"Vex!" Lauren blurted. "What have I told you about violence? The support of the Fae cannot be forced. They must come willingly or they will turn against us."

The mesmer smacked her back roughly and explained, "Calm down. I did a type of poll amongst the general populace. All the little people want what we can give them. Isn't this entire plan a coup? I just facilitated a tiny coup and secured the entire northwest region of Oregon." He poured them both a second drink and suggested, "I believe thanks are in order, Doc."

"The Fae in Toronto are bound to hear of this. We need to move faster." The urgency of her mission loomed over her like a storm cloud filled with water droplets on the verge of losing a fight with gravity. Soon those droplets would be ripped from the atmosphere and pummel the ground with rain. With every hostile action, she reluctantly moved up the timetable to dodge the deluge.

"Don't lose your head," the man said. "No one is going to run and hide under their mommy's skirts. They're far too happy for the pressing of the reset button."

As she grazed the glass against her lips, she smiled and commented, "I was surprised by the general lack of hatred between the Light and the Dark outside of the reach of the Morrigan and the Ash."

"They just want their leaders' heads on pikes. History does repeat itself. You can always count on a hatred of government when times get shitty amongst the common people."

"How long will our new government last?" Lauren asked thoughtfully. Because she was human, the longevity of a new government mattered very little to her personally, but the thought drifted through her mind on occasion.

Vex chuckled, "Don't worry you evil scientist. It will drag on long enough for you to cut into Fae in order to help humans."

"Don't be so vulgar," the blonde snapped defensively as she glared in his direction. "Certain Fae have volunteered in exchange for freedom. I'm not Taft."

"But you're using that research to—"

"Help people. I'm not doing anything morally wrong."

He shook the table as he settled his feet on the glass surface, "Doesn't matter to me, love. I'm just glad I followed you. I had no idea you were so fun."

Lauren mimicked his posture and offered with a smile, "As much as I hate to admit it, you've proved to be an invaluable resource these past several months."

"I'm just a loyal partner and generous donor."

She snagged the tequila and poured them both a third glass and they toasted to their unfolding success, "We will change everything."

"For a little while," Vex added in amusement.

Not bothered by the correction, the blonde concluded, "As long as they pay for what they have done and I do my part in advancing humanity, time is irrelevant."

"I do adore a beautiful Santa Claus."

As the two of them discussed their next move, Lauren couldn't stop herself from dwelling on Bo. She would soon learn that the only force more powerful than revenge was love. It would be a struggle, but would the determined doctor allow it to swallow her plans for the betterment of her race and freedom from the two clans?


End file.
